UK DIY News

John Lewis reports weekly sales rise of 3.9%

John Lewis has reported its latest weekly trading figures, for the week ending Saturday 3rd December.

Trade this week was positive, with sales of £172.1m, up 3.9% YOY. The week was characterised by the final Black Friday promotions on Sunday and Monday driving sales. There were fewer promotions outside of the Black Friday period compared to last year, which influenced fashion and home sales this week, but customers were preparing their homes for Christmas by buying extra beds and pillows.

EHT continued to benefit from Black Friday promotions and was up 14.9%. Particularly strong were Audio and Connected Home products, with Sonos, Apple and Samsung among our biggest brands. Last week we opened two Nespresso boutiques in Peter Jones and John Lewis Kingston, which were incredibly busy selling both coffee machines and coffee capsules.

Home sales were down 1.4% on the year. However furniture sales were up 7.7% as customers started to prepare for Christmas guests; inflatable beds were up 116%, sofa beds were up 36% and our best selling pillow was up 18% on last year. In gift food, candy canes, gingerbread men and giant chocolate coins all entered the top selling product list for the first time this week.

In Fashion, sales were down 2.3% compared to last year, as many of the promotions in the market in 2015 were concentrated around the Black Friday period. In Toys, our exclusive personalised Play Doh and mini Lego figures were among our best sellers.

This week, My John Lewis customer events and a Double Points promotion on Partnership Card, means there are plenty of reasons for customers to shop.